A Hero the Hard Way
by ThatMollyKid
Summary: AU: On the Isle of Berk, Hiccup had always felt like he didn't belong. Maybe that's because he wasn't born a mortal boy, but a son of Thor. If Hiccup ever wants to find out where he truly belongs, he has to leave everything he's known behind and become a hero all on his own... the hard way. (Basically Disney's Hercules with Norse mythology and book!HTTYD characters.)


The gods were in need of some cheering up.

Baldur, god of light and joy, had just been killed and a rather dreary spirit had fallen over the immortal realm of Asgard. Baldur's murderer, the god Loki, had been punished to spend the rest of his days hidden in a cave with toxic poison eternally dripping onto him, the pain of it becoming more unbearable by the second.

The gods were becoming depressed at the loss of their friend, each of them mourning much more than was healthy. Which is why when Thor's wife Sif gave birth to a baby boy, everyone was glad for a distraction and a reason to celebrate rather than lament in their sorrow. There were many well-wishes and small welcoming gifts presented to the family. Thor was overjoyed, and sure his son would be the bravest hero anyone had ever seen.

There was only one thing that could damper his spirits: Loki's children. No child of the god of trickery should be allowed to roam freely while their father was in need of rescue, the gods agreed. The three children had been kept in a prison until their punishments were given, as the Allfather Odin had yet to announce their sentences.

One week after the birth of Thor and Sif's unnamed son, Odin called a meeting of the gods of only the highest ranking as he presented Loki's children with their fate. He sat on his throne at the end of the King's Hall with his noble head held high. Pale grey light streamed through the windows and the gods' whispers echoed into the high ceiling. Thor and Sif walked into the hall and closed the door with a small click. It was mandatory to leave the baby in the next room during the ceremony as laws dictated that only the highest of gods could attend. Sif couldn't bear to be too far away from her baby so Thor had made an agreement with Odin and allowed the child to sleep in one of the connecting rooms.

As the two took their seats, the double doors flew open and Loki's three children were dragged through the hall and presented before the Allfather: Jörmungandr, the great sea serpent; Fenrir, the giant wolf; and Hel, a goddess half-dead, half alive. Fenrir snarled and bared his teeth as his guards yanked his arms forward. Hel rolled her eyes and walked with her back as stiff as a board to show the gods that she was a woman with dignity.

The guards pulled the three to a stop in front of Odin and waited for him to speak.

"Jörmungandr," he said in a booming voice, "you shall be sent to Midgard and live among the sea creatures in the oceans, never to return to Asgard again. Your sentence, Hel, is to become goddess of the dead, abiding in Niflheim, the mist world of the deceased, to stay forevermore."

Odin's gaze slowly landed on the growling Fenrir. "And you, wolf," he spat, "will be held by the strongest of chains and restricted for the rest of your days."

Fenrir thrashed against his guard, giving him a vicious bite on the arm. He struggled and broke away from the guard's vice-like grip. Retreating to the centre of the hall, Fenrir started attacking any god who tried to approach him, swiping at them with his claws and gnashing his fangs. The gods in the room circled him and tried to trap the beast, but he wouldn't go down without a fight.

With all the gods distracted, Hel saw a chance to slip away into the other room where, unbeknownst to her, Thor's baby was sleeping.

Hel was a strange being. Half of her face gleamed with clean beauty and radiance while the other half was dead and dry with cracked grey skin hanging limp off of her skull. From her waist down was dead as well, but from her stomach to her neck was pink and healthy.

Being the daughter of the god of mischief, Hel would not go to Niflheim without even attempting revenge on the gods. She saw the baby and quickly started thinking of a plan. She knew that the baby had brought joy back into the gods' dreary world and decided to make her father proud.

The boy had awoken at the sound of Fenrir's commotion and now looked as if he was about to cry. Hel scooped him up in his bundle of blankets and soothed him into a deep sleep. She poked her head out into the main hall to see if anyone had noticed her absence during Fenrir's scene. They hadn't; they were all focused on his vicious swipes at everything in sight. Hel hurried over to Jörmungandr's side.

"Open your mouth," she hissed. The snake was reluctant but obeyed after Hel gave him a piercing look, which looked particularly threatening on the dead side of her face. She laid the sleeping baby in between his jaws and slowly closed them shut around him.

"Just trust me on this, okay? Take him to Midgard. _Don't_ eat him," she whispered sternly. Hel resumed her earlier position and watched as Fenrir battled with all of his might before he was finally captured and dragged away.

The gods sat down again, each a little weary and worn from the fight with Fenrir. They watched as Odin, out of breath and red in the face with anger, stood in front of Jörmungandr, raised a mighty hand and expelled the serpent to the mortal world with a few mysterious words.

And as Hel was about to be sent by the god of all gods to the underworld, she imagined the horror and rage of Thor once he realized what had happened to his precious son. Hel threw her head back and laughed maniacally, leaving only an echo behind her as she flew through space until she woke up in the mist.

At the same moment, Jörmungandr reached Midgard, landing somewhere in the Barbaric Archipelago beside a very large Viking ship with very strong Viking men.


End file.
